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And through it all Cassie stood still and silent, unsurprised as Jason gripped her neck and held her in front of him, her back against his chest, her heart blocking that shot. The muzzle of his weapon at her temple, the fingers adding just the right amount of pressure to the trigger to ensure that a head shot would take her life as well. His throat was blocked by her head, no way to take him out there. He had thought of all the angles. And now he was playing his hand.
CHAPTER 24
Dawn heard Seth curse. She felt Brian’s shock, his pain. This was his nephew, his heir. He was also the scourge of the Breed labs. A figure so horrifying that the female Breeds in the New Mexico labs had cowered at the thought of him.
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nbsp; He had been smarter in those days. He’d kept his face covered by the snug, black mask he and his fellow rapists had worn. Just in case, he had always laughed. Smell me, good little breed. Kill me if you can.
“Jason, what the hell are you doing?” Brian moved for his nephew, only to be jerked back by Seth and pushed to one of the Breeds that stood protectively around Seth.
The other man was pale, staring at his only heir with horror and outrage. As though he couldn’t believe his own blood could do such a thing. As though he were fighting to convince himself this wasn’t some horrible nightmare.
Dawn could have assured him it was no nightmare. The monster that stood in the middle of the ballroom, Cassie as a shield in front of him, was very, very real.
Jason smiled as he noted the Breeds’ position around Seth, a gleam of triumph in his eyes. He had done what no Council soldier had managed in the eleven years since the news broke of the Breeds’ existence. He had their most prized possession. The female that both Felines and Wolves cherished. The light, the wonder, of Cassie Sinclair.
“It’s not Cassie you want, Phelps,” Seth bit out. “You came for me. Well, here I am.”
“It never was you I was after, Lawrence,” he sneered with a laugh. “Six tries and all of them failures? My little cat beside you can tell you, I never miss.”
No, he didn’t. He had killed Breeds. Trained, wary Breeds who knew to watch for him on missions. He never missed. He always had a plan and he had never failed. She should have guessed. She should have known that Seth wasn’t the target. But how could he have guessed Cassie would be here?
The decision was made at the last moment. No one had a clue that Cassie and her mother would arrive with Dash.
She stared back at Phelps, trying to read the intent on his gloating face, seeing his sense of triumph. Why? Because he had gained more than he had ever imagined he could?
As she watched him, she was aware of his gaze turning to her, his eyes stroking her as though with a lover’s caress. Her flesh crawled.
“You acquired a name,” he drawled, that gaze so hated, so despised it had followed her for twenty years. “Dawn. How refreshing. Does he whisper your name when he’s fucking you?” He nodded to Seth. “Or do you even fuck? Did I mark you for life, little girl?”
Dawn stared at him silently, looking for a weakness, a way past Cassie’s fragile body to the larger one behind her.
Phelps was careful. Cassie covered all his weakest spots and she knew it. Knew it and was doing nothing to fight it. It didn’t make sense. She knew if he escaped this island with her, then her life would effectively be over. Hers, her parents’ and the entire Breed community’s as well.
“Jason, you’ve lost your mind,” Brian called out. “Let that child go.”
Jason laughed. “This child, as you call her.” His fingers stroked Cassie’s neck. “She’s worth more than all of you combined. Do you have any idea how much the Council will pay for her?” His expression hardened. “Which is where she belongs. She’s an animal, as the rest of them are. No more than tools and pets. Isn’t that right, Dawn?”
His gaze was oily, reeking of evil, just as his scent did.
Dawn lifted her head, her hands clutching her purse, her finger on the trigger of the powerful handgun it contained.
She let a gloating smile curl her lips. “We escaped though, didn’t we? We survived.”
A frown tugged at his brow as anger flashed in his eyes. His hand tightened on Cassie’s throat as a wolf’s snarl filled the room.
The absolute rage that filled that wolf’s growl was a testament to a father’s love for his child. Dash was enraged, barely controlled, the scent of his fury filling the air as Dawn kept her attention on Phelps.
Jason wouldn’t make it out of the ballroom. It wouldn’t be allowed. Jonas was amazingly efficient and Dawn knew the order that had gone out concerning Cassie. Every attempt would be made to save her, but if she were ever taken in such a way, then ensuring the Council didn’t acquire her was imperative. She would be killed before it was allowed to happen.
Dash knew it. Dawn knew it. Every Breed there knew that getting her out of Jason Phelps’s hands was the only way to ensure her survival. There would be no rescue attempts later, there would only be a funeral and more death. More blood spilled.
Jason laughed. “You should have kept her at home, Sinclair. I still haven’t figured out what possessed you to bring such a valuable little jewel out of hiding.” He lowered his head and licked Cassie’s cheek. The caress was disgusting, insulting.
“Then Cassie was the goal all along?” Seth asked him, his voice icy with the promise of death.
Jason chuckled. “Actually, no. Cassie is a side benefit. A twofer, you might call it. No, Lawrence, I wanted what belonged to me. And there was this nasty little rumor Caroline so enjoyed telling of the little Breed’s name you whispered in your sleep. Little Dawn. My little girl.”
